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Edge
Crafting a chilling mind puzzle packed with “nifty new tricks” (Publishers Weekly), Jeffery Deaver lifts the curtain of a clandestine intelligence agency, pitting two “ingenious” (Library Journal) opponents in a high-stakes volley of brilliant wits and calculated risks with deadly consequences.
Behind the well-known U.S. security organizations—the FBI and CIA among them—lies a heavily guarded, anonymous government agency dedicated to intelligence surveillance and to a highly specialized brand of citizen protection.
Shock waves of alarm ripple through the clandestine agency when Washington, D.C., police detective Ryan Kessler inexplicably becomes the target of Henry Loving, a seasoned, ruthless “lifter” hired to obtain information using whatever means necessary. While Loving is deft at torture, his expertise lies in getting an “edge” on his victim—leverage—usually by kidnapping or threatening family until the “primary” caves under pressure.
The job of keeping the Kessler family alive falls to a man named Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a “shepherd.” Uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a passionate board game aficionado, he applies brilliant gaming strategy to his work. For Corte, the reappearance of Loving—the man who, six years earlier, had tortured and killed someone close to him—is also an opportunity to avenge his friend’s death. The assignment soon escalates into a fast-paced duel between Corte and Loving, a dangerous volley of wits and calculated risks.
As he shepherds the Kesslers to a concealed safe house, Corte must anticipate Loving’s every step as the lifter moves in on his prey, and with the help of razor-sharp investigator Claire DuBois and his longtime ally, FBI agent Paul Fredericks, pinpoint which of Kessler’s seemingly insignificant cases has triggered Loving’s return. As the team digs deeper, each of the Kesslers comes under close scrutiny, and in captivity their family bonds are stretched to the breaking point—as the lifter draws near, Corte must ultimately choose between protecting his charges and exposing them to a killer in the name of long-awaited revenge.
Behind the well-known U.S. security organizations—the FBI and CIA among them—lies a heavily guarded, anonymous government agency dedicated to intelligence surveillance and to a highly specialized brand of citizen protection.
Shock waves of alarm ripple through the clandestine agency when Washington, D.C., police detective Ryan Kessler inexplicably becomes the target of Henry Loving, a seasoned, ruthless “lifter” hired to obtain information using whatever means necessary. While Loving is deft at torture, his expertise lies in getting an “edge” on his victim—leverage—usually by kidnapping or threatening family until the “primary” caves under pressure.
The job of keeping the Kessler family alive falls to a man named Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a “shepherd.” Uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a passionate board game aficionado, he applies brilliant gaming strategy to his work. For Corte, the reappearance of Loving—the man who, six years earlier, had tortured and killed someone close to him—is also an opportunity to avenge his friend’s death. The assignment soon escalates into a fast-paced duel between Corte and Loving, a dangerous volley of wits and calculated risks.
As he shepherds the Kesslers to a concealed safe house, Corte must anticipate Loving’s every step as the lifter moves in on his prey, and with the help of razor-sharp investigator Claire DuBois and his longtime ally, FBI agent Paul Fredericks, pinpoint which of Kessler’s seemingly insignificant cases has triggered Loving’s return. As the team digs deeper, each of the Kesslers comes under close scrutiny, and in captivity their family bonds are stretched to the breaking point—as the lifter draws near, Corte must ultimately choose between protecting his charges and exposing them to a killer in the name of long-awaited revenge.
576 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 2, 2010
578 people are currently reading
5530 people want to read
About the author
Jeffery Deaver
512 books11.8k followers#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He's received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 797 reviews
May 14, 2025
Deaver has created a topological impossibility! Sadly, EDGE comes up flat!
In the field craft parlance of personal protection – professional bodyguarding, if you will – “principal” is the person whose body or life is being guarded; “primary” is the person who the principal is being protected from; “shepherd” is the person doing the guarding; “lifter” is a person whose objective is obtaining information from the principal (at all costs and with extreme prejudice, if it comes to that); and, “hitter” is a person whose sole objective is the extermination of a principal. Corte is a shepherd and Henry Loving is a lifter. They’ve encountered one another before and each knows that the other is a worthy opponent. EDGE is an extended (in fact, very extended … indeed, OVER-extended) series of encounters between them as one tries to out-think the other in a deadly contest whose end-game will almost certainly exact the ultimate price from one of the players.
EDGE is reasonably well-written. It’s difficult to imagine an accomplished master of the thriller genre like Jeffery Deaver doing anything else. There are lots of twists and turns, blind alleys, red herrings and plenty of high-speed action but the fact is that, compared to his superb Lincoln Rhyme series, EDGE is repetitive, tedious and approaches downright boring. And that final revelation of the identity of the primary, to be completely honest, is so possible and so realistic in the climate of today’s sad realities that it becomes disappointingly banal and quite worthy of a ho-hum shrug!
Fans of Jeffery Deaver’s amazing body of work will want to read it for the sake of completeness but potential new readers should give this one a wide pass.
Paul Weiss
In the field craft parlance of personal protection – professional bodyguarding, if you will – “principal” is the person whose body or life is being guarded; “primary” is the person who the principal is being protected from; “shepherd” is the person doing the guarding; “lifter” is a person whose objective is obtaining information from the principal (at all costs and with extreme prejudice, if it comes to that); and, “hitter” is a person whose sole objective is the extermination of a principal. Corte is a shepherd and Henry Loving is a lifter. They’ve encountered one another before and each knows that the other is a worthy opponent. EDGE is an extended (in fact, very extended … indeed, OVER-extended) series of encounters between them as one tries to out-think the other in a deadly contest whose end-game will almost certainly exact the ultimate price from one of the players.
EDGE is reasonably well-written. It’s difficult to imagine an accomplished master of the thriller genre like Jeffery Deaver doing anything else. There are lots of twists and turns, blind alleys, red herrings and plenty of high-speed action but the fact is that, compared to his superb Lincoln Rhyme series, EDGE is repetitive, tedious and approaches downright boring. And that final revelation of the identity of the primary, to be completely honest, is so possible and so realistic in the climate of today’s sad realities that it becomes disappointingly banal and quite worthy of a ho-hum shrug!
Fans of Jeffery Deaver’s amazing body of work will want to read it for the sake of completeness but potential new readers should give this one a wide pass.
Paul Weiss
May 14, 2018
This might very well be Jeffrey Deaver's best book! My only disappointment is that it's a stand alone book, not a series. Under the radar government agent Corte is an ingeniously brilliant "Shepherd" guarding a family at risk of torture and death by the equally ingenious "Lifter" Henry Loving. The subsequent cat & mouse dual is totally mesmerizing in it's complexity and lightning pace. Note to Jeffrey Deaver: Corte is just too dynamic a protagonist to be limited to just one book!
August 18, 2024
Have you ever wanted to read a book about a boring board game nerd who isn't funny and not sociable? Then this book may be for you!
A lot of thrilling and interesting action happens within this book, but the blandness of the main character almost made me put it down. (And also the excessive amount of non-existent contractions.) Fortunately, the author made things interesting before my 100 page cut-off since I did eventually become invested in the story. Why, though, would you make your main character such a dry stick-in-the-mud?
I remember Ian Fleming said something along the line of James Bond is an uninteresting person who has interesting situations happen to him. But Bond was interesting, wasn't he? He was an emotionally damaged orphan who had cool gadgets, nice cars, nice clothes, a penchant for poker and a way with women. The protagonist here is boring, obsessed with game theory, and collects board games. Bluh.
Edge was good popcorn fiction, or beach read, or however you want to put it, with short chapters that were just interesting enough for you to tell yourself "okay, maybe another chapter", even though it was past bedtime. If Deaver made a sequel, though, I would not Pass Go.
A lot of thrilling and interesting action happens within this book, but the blandness of the main character almost made me put it down. (And also the excessive amount of non-existent contractions.) Fortunately, the author made things interesting before my 100 page cut-off since I did eventually become invested in the story. Why, though, would you make your main character such a dry stick-in-the-mud?
I remember Ian Fleming said something along the line of James Bond is an uninteresting person who has interesting situations happen to him. But Bond was interesting, wasn't he? He was an emotionally damaged orphan who had cool gadgets, nice cars, nice clothes, a penchant for poker and a way with women. The protagonist here is boring, obsessed with game theory, and collects board games. Bluh.
Edge was good popcorn fiction, or beach read, or however you want to put it, with short chapters that were just interesting enough for you to tell yourself "okay, maybe another chapter", even though it was past bedtime. If Deaver made a sequel, though, I would not Pass Go.
December 30, 2019
Henry Loving is a “lifter”--someone who specializes in getting to someone and applying ruthless techniques to extract needed information for whoever hires him. Corte, the “shepherd”, tries to protect those targets. He had a run-in with Loving in the past, when Loving tortured and killed his partner—and he and everyone else believed Loving to now be dead.
Until Loving shows up, targeting a local hero cop. No one can figure out why Ryan Kessler is in Loving's crosshairs. Corte is determined to keep his people alive, to figure out what information Loving is after—and to finally GET Loving this time.
Kessler and his wife are taken by Corte, while their daughter is sent to a supposed safe location. Kessler's sister-in-law accompanies them, causing all kinds of trouble in her denial of how serious this situation is. Kessler himself causes issues—you can't expect ANY cop, let alone an actual HERO, to stand idly by and let himself be hunted!!
The tension builds as they keep moving to keep safe, but Loving seems to be one step ahead of them the entire time. The race to find out exactly who Loving is after, and why, keeps pace with the chase.
Another excellent Jeffery Deaver thriller!!
Until Loving shows up, targeting a local hero cop. No one can figure out why Ryan Kessler is in Loving's crosshairs. Corte is determined to keep his people alive, to figure out what information Loving is after—and to finally GET Loving this time.
Kessler and his wife are taken by Corte, while their daughter is sent to a supposed safe location. Kessler's sister-in-law accompanies them, causing all kinds of trouble in her denial of how serious this situation is. Kessler himself causes issues—you can't expect ANY cop, let alone an actual HERO, to stand idly by and let himself be hunted!!
The tension builds as they keep moving to keep safe, but Loving seems to be one step ahead of them the entire time. The race to find out exactly who Loving is after, and why, keeps pace with the chase.
Another excellent Jeffery Deaver thriller!!
December 2, 2010
I just need to get this out from the start: I loved this novel, seriously, loved it! This will definitely be in my top five reads of the year, not the quarter, the year. Synopsis first then let the love fest begin:
“When Washington D.C. police detective Ryan Kessler is targeted by Henry Loving, he and his family are immediately put under government protection. Loving is a ruthless "lifter", hired to extract information from his victims, and he will use whatever means necessary including kidnapping, torturing or killing their family.
Assigned to the Kesslers is protection officer Corte: uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a brilliant game strategist. He also knows just how brutal the lifter can be – six years earlier, Loving killed someone close to him. As tension increases between the family, the situation escalates into a deadly contest between protector and lifter as each tries to outwit the other. And as the lifter closes in on his prey, Corte must decide whether to protect his charges, or expose them to a killer in the name of personal revenge . . . “
I have read many thrillers and not read about a “lifter” or a shepherd. The originality in the characters, their jobs, the inner workings of the agencies they work for kept me enthralled, check it out, I used the word enthralled, first time this year. I have read many Jeffery Deaver novels and was ready for the usual quality work and good read, but he hits this out of the park, grand slam. Edge has just that to it, and it is an amazing plot twister. Just when you think you have it figured out, BAM, right up to the last page. This is great stuff from an author that has pumped out some of fiction’s best characters. The character of Corte is a winner, a game geek, a manipulator, and a shepherd all rolled into one. The plotlines were amazing, the narrative intense; this is one novel that is hard to put down.
Basically I cannot use enough adjectives to describe my enjoyment of this novel. Do not pass this read up, there is too much fun contained in the pages. For those of you that have not read a Jeffery Deaver novel, this is an excellent place to start. I was considering putting up the author’s biography, but honestly it is long and incredible so I am going to leave the link to his official webpage, go for it and enjoy. One note, Jeffery Deaver’s next project, the next James Bond novel. I am sure he will take James Bond to the next level.
http://www.jefferydeaver.com/index.html
What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Wattpad and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
“When Washington D.C. police detective Ryan Kessler is targeted by Henry Loving, he and his family are immediately put under government protection. Loving is a ruthless "lifter", hired to extract information from his victims, and he will use whatever means necessary including kidnapping, torturing or killing their family.
Assigned to the Kesslers is protection officer Corte: uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a brilliant game strategist. He also knows just how brutal the lifter can be – six years earlier, Loving killed someone close to him. As tension increases between the family, the situation escalates into a deadly contest between protector and lifter as each tries to outwit the other. And as the lifter closes in on his prey, Corte must decide whether to protect his charges, or expose them to a killer in the name of personal revenge . . . “
I have read many thrillers and not read about a “lifter” or a shepherd. The originality in the characters, their jobs, the inner workings of the agencies they work for kept me enthralled, check it out, I used the word enthralled, first time this year. I have read many Jeffery Deaver novels and was ready for the usual quality work and good read, but he hits this out of the park, grand slam. Edge has just that to it, and it is an amazing plot twister. Just when you think you have it figured out, BAM, right up to the last page. This is great stuff from an author that has pumped out some of fiction’s best characters. The character of Corte is a winner, a game geek, a manipulator, and a shepherd all rolled into one. The plotlines were amazing, the narrative intense; this is one novel that is hard to put down.
Basically I cannot use enough adjectives to describe my enjoyment of this novel. Do not pass this read up, there is too much fun contained in the pages. For those of you that have not read a Jeffery Deaver novel, this is an excellent place to start. I was considering putting up the author’s biography, but honestly it is long and incredible so I am going to leave the link to his official webpage, go for it and enjoy. One note, Jeffery Deaver’s next project, the next James Bond novel. I am sure he will take James Bond to the next level.
http://www.jefferydeaver.com/index.html
What are you reading today? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari & Linkedin. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. You can also follow us on Twitter, Wattpad and the Gelati’s Scoop Facebook Fan Page. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com
August 7, 2023
A Gripping and Compelling read.
Jeffery Deavers Edge was an astounding and captivating book to read. It held me completely from start to finish and it kept me on edge till the end. A brilliant book that is highly recommended. Honestly, I loved it.
Jeffery Deavers Edge was an astounding and captivating book to read. It held me completely from start to finish and it kept me on edge till the end. A brilliant book that is highly recommended. Honestly, I loved it.
April 3, 2023
Easy 5 stars, possibly top book of the year.
Full review to follow.
Full review to follow.
April 9, 2018
Jeffery Deaver is an author to have grabbed my attention on many occasions, yet I never seemed to pick up his books. Last year, I decided to change that and went ahead and brought a couple of his books. My first introduction to his work was through Mistress of Justice, and I was rather disappointed by it. Nevertheless, I was willing to give another of his books a try.
I’m so glad I did.
I enjoyed Edge so much more than I enjoyed Mistress of Justice. With Mistress of Justice I experienced highs and lows, times where my attention was sucked in and times where I didn’t care much for the book at all. With Edge, I did not experience this. I enjoyed Edge from the get-go, was sucked in from the very first page and found it very difficult to put down – when I did put it down, I found I couldn’t wait until I was picking it up again. With Mistress of Justice I saw potential, yet Edge took all the potential I saw and delivered.
The story is an interesting one, something that sucks you in quickly. You’re constantly trying to work out the details behind the story, trying to find the answers. Every time you think you’ve worked something out something new is thrown in, keeping you on the edge of your seat and guessing. There’s so much action throughout, things are constantly happening, and everything leaves you wanting more.
All in all, it was a really difficult book to put down.
The one thing I wasn’t crazy about was our main character. I never came to enjoy him, as I had hoped. He was an interesting character, something different to what we usually experience in such stories, but I did not care much for him at all.
Overall, this one ensured I will be reading more Jeffery Deaver in the future.
I’m so glad I did.
I enjoyed Edge so much more than I enjoyed Mistress of Justice. With Mistress of Justice I experienced highs and lows, times where my attention was sucked in and times where I didn’t care much for the book at all. With Edge, I did not experience this. I enjoyed Edge from the get-go, was sucked in from the very first page and found it very difficult to put down – when I did put it down, I found I couldn’t wait until I was picking it up again. With Mistress of Justice I saw potential, yet Edge took all the potential I saw and delivered.
The story is an interesting one, something that sucks you in quickly. You’re constantly trying to work out the details behind the story, trying to find the answers. Every time you think you’ve worked something out something new is thrown in, keeping you on the edge of your seat and guessing. There’s so much action throughout, things are constantly happening, and everything leaves you wanting more.
All in all, it was a really difficult book to put down.
The one thing I wasn’t crazy about was our main character. I never came to enjoy him, as I had hoped. He was an interesting character, something different to what we usually experience in such stories, but I did not care much for him at all.
Overall, this one ensured I will be reading more Jeffery Deaver in the future.
September 26, 2022
1.99 from Amazon, so of course I bought it, then read it, and now want to say that I was captivated throughout this tale of intrigue though I generally avoid "thriller" books. I have read a number of this author's books over the years and it appears that I usually award 4 stars.
The action takes place in the DC area, a place I called home for a number of years and where my first two children were born. I enjoyed the descriptions of the settings I am so familiar with.
In general, the protagonist serves as a protector for those the government chooses to keep safe. Danger, threat of danger, constant movement to find secure locations, managing emotions of those being protected make up the storyline. There are some plot similarities to the Jane Whitefield series by Tom Perry, but she has her protection actions down to a science without involving government agencies. Deaver is a few years younger than Perry, and I'm a tad older than the two of them, but I get them, I guess. Keep up the good work, gentlemen.
The action takes place in the DC area, a place I called home for a number of years and where my first two children were born. I enjoyed the descriptions of the settings I am so familiar with.
In general, the protagonist serves as a protector for those the government chooses to keep safe. Danger, threat of danger, constant movement to find secure locations, managing emotions of those being protected make up the storyline. There are some plot similarities to the Jane Whitefield series by Tom Perry, but she has her protection actions down to a science without involving government agencies. Deaver is a few years younger than Perry, and I'm a tad older than the two of them, but I get them, I guess. Keep up the good work, gentlemen.
June 16, 2019
Jeffery Deaver does it again! I had read a lot of mixed reviews regarding Edge, but I'm glad I read it, so I can give my own opinion, I thought it was excellent and right up to my standards! A great stand-alone, however, I wish it would've become a series because I really enjoyed the main character!
Washington D.C. Police Detective Ryan Kessler and his wife and daughter, have been targeted by Henry Loving, who is known as a lifter, hired to obtain information from Kessler using whatever means necessary, Loving's expertise lies in getting an edge on his victims, leverage, kidnapping and torturing his victims to get the information he needs.
The Kessler family is put under protection by a man known only as Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a shepherd. Corte has his own dark past, with Loving being a part of it, this case is somewhat personal for Corte, where years ago Loving brutally tortured and killed Corte's friend and mentor. Now Corte must protect this family from his deadly nemesis, with the assignment turning deadly with every turn, hoping to stay one step ahead of Loving, and discovering deep, dark secrets involving each and every one of the Kessler family members. Corte works to dig deeper into their pasts, find out who hired Loving and why, and stop Loving once and for all!
I really enjoyed the character of Corte, and his passion and loving for board games! And I also enjoyed the Washington D.C, and Virginia setting, which this isn't the first book by Deaver to take place in that area, I understand that
also took place in that area.
Another winner by Deaver, and towards the end as always, when you think you got it all figured out and you think you know which direction it's going, he hits you again with that big twist!
Washington D.C. Police Detective Ryan Kessler and his wife and daughter, have been targeted by Henry Loving, who is known as a lifter, hired to obtain information from Kessler using whatever means necessary, Loving's expertise lies in getting an edge on his victims, leverage, kidnapping and torturing his victims to get the information he needs.
The Kessler family is put under protection by a man known only as Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a shepherd. Corte has his own dark past, with Loving being a part of it, this case is somewhat personal for Corte, where years ago Loving brutally tortured and killed Corte's friend and mentor. Now Corte must protect this family from his deadly nemesis, with the assignment turning deadly with every turn, hoping to stay one step ahead of Loving, and discovering deep, dark secrets involving each and every one of the Kessler family members. Corte works to dig deeper into their pasts, find out who hired Loving and why, and stop Loving once and for all!
I really enjoyed the character of Corte, and his passion and loving for board games! And I also enjoyed the Washington D.C, and Virginia setting, which this isn't the first book by Deaver to take place in that area, I understand that
also took place in that area.Another winner by Deaver, and towards the end as always, when you think you got it all figured out and you think you know which direction it's going, he hits you again with that big twist!
April 25, 2019
An action thriller in which Mr. Deaver invents his own organization and his own vocabulary to describe individuals within that organization. The story is taut, thrilling and, largely, unbelievable. If you can expand your basis of reality, you should be able to enjoy this. If you cannot, you probably will think this tale is just plain silly. I enjoyed it overall.
January 28, 2014
3.5 Stars
My Musings
I really liked this novel a lot. And if I hadn't been sick this weekend, I would have finished it in 2 days. Jeffery Deaver has created a great new character - Corte - that I would really enjoy seeing again; maybe as sequel or a new series. He's a complicated guy who doesn't smile, takes his job seriously, and does what it takes to protect his charges. He's very secretive and loves board games, and he uses game strategy to outsmart the lifters and hitters that want to kill or extract information from his "sheep" or as he calls them his principals. They can be whistle blowers, valuable witnesses in a criminal case, anybody that his ultra secret government agency is asked to protect. There is always someone - the primary - who wants information from them or their elimination.
As always, there are delicious twists that only Deaver can deliver without stretching the reader's belief in the storyline. His pacing was good, the building of suspense was good, but it was the board game talk and talk that led me to deduct a half of a star. With less of the board game references it would have been a really good novel.
Book Blurb
Behind the well-known U.S. security organizations-- the FBI and CIA among them--lies a heavily guarded, anonymous government agency dedicated to intelligence surveillance and to a highly specialized brand of citizen protection. Shock waves of alarm ripple through the clandestine agency when Washington, D.C., police detective Ryan Kessler inexplicably becomes the target of Henry Loving, a seasoned, ruthless "lifter" hired to obtain information using whatever means necessary. While Loving is deft at torture, his expertise lies in getting an "edge" on his victim--leverage--usually by kidnapping or threatening family until the "primary" caves under pressure.
The job of keeping the Kessler family alive falls to a man named Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a "shepherd." Uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a passionate board game aficionado, he applies brilliant gaming strategy to his work. For Corte, the reappearance of Loving--the man who, six years earlier, had tortured and killed someone close to him--is also an opportunity to avenge his friend's death. The assignment soon escalates into a fast-paced duel between Corte and Loving, a dangerous volley of wits and calculated risks.
As he shepherds the Kesslers to a concealed safe house, Corte must anticipate Loving's every step as the lifter moves in on his prey, and with the help of razor-sharp investigator Claire DuBois and his longtime ally, FBI agent Paul Fredericks, pinpoint which of Kessler's seemingly insignificant cases has triggered Loving's return. As the team digs deeper, each of the Kesslers comes under close scrutiny, and in captivity their family bonds are stretched to the breaking point--as the lifter draws near, Corte must ultimately choose between protecting his charges and exposing them to a killer in the name of long-awaited revenge.
My Musings
I really liked this novel a lot. And if I hadn't been sick this weekend, I would have finished it in 2 days. Jeffery Deaver has created a great new character - Corte - that I would really enjoy seeing again; maybe as sequel or a new series. He's a complicated guy who doesn't smile, takes his job seriously, and does what it takes to protect his charges. He's very secretive and loves board games, and he uses game strategy to outsmart the lifters and hitters that want to kill or extract information from his "sheep" or as he calls them his principals. They can be whistle blowers, valuable witnesses in a criminal case, anybody that his ultra secret government agency is asked to protect. There is always someone - the primary - who wants information from them or their elimination.
As always, there are delicious twists that only Deaver can deliver without stretching the reader's belief in the storyline. His pacing was good, the building of suspense was good, but it was the board game talk and talk that led me to deduct a half of a star. With less of the board game references it would have been a really good novel.
Book Blurb
Behind the well-known U.S. security organizations-- the FBI and CIA among them--lies a heavily guarded, anonymous government agency dedicated to intelligence surveillance and to a highly specialized brand of citizen protection. Shock waves of alarm ripple through the clandestine agency when Washington, D.C., police detective Ryan Kessler inexplicably becomes the target of Henry Loving, a seasoned, ruthless "lifter" hired to obtain information using whatever means necessary. While Loving is deft at torture, his expertise lies in getting an "edge" on his victim--leverage--usually by kidnapping or threatening family until the "primary" caves under pressure.
The job of keeping the Kessler family alive falls to a man named Corte, a senior federal protection officer known as a "shepherd." Uncompromising, relentlessly devoted to protecting those in his care and a passionate board game aficionado, he applies brilliant gaming strategy to his work. For Corte, the reappearance of Loving--the man who, six years earlier, had tortured and killed someone close to him--is also an opportunity to avenge his friend's death. The assignment soon escalates into a fast-paced duel between Corte and Loving, a dangerous volley of wits and calculated risks.
As he shepherds the Kesslers to a concealed safe house, Corte must anticipate Loving's every step as the lifter moves in on his prey, and with the help of razor-sharp investigator Claire DuBois and his longtime ally, FBI agent Paul Fredericks, pinpoint which of Kessler's seemingly insignificant cases has triggered Loving's return. As the team digs deeper, each of the Kesslers comes under close scrutiny, and in captivity their family bonds are stretched to the breaking point--as the lifter draws near, Corte must ultimately choose between protecting his charges and exposing them to a killer in the name of long-awaited revenge.
September 9, 2015
Though he's a favorite author, not my favorite book. A story about private protection of a family against a "lifter" or person hired to kidnap a family member for the purpose of finding information, it never really grabbed me.
The main character, Corte, never engaged me - he seemed flat, cold, and distant. The story is told from his perspective but you never really learn much about him. Even the bad guy, Henry Loving (really?!), wasn't well developed and seemed a cardboard character. He was always lurking in the background as this nemesis character, but never became very scary.
I love a good unexpected twist to a story but this whole plot was based on "twists" and I found that annoying. There was little tension and I never really cared if the bad guy was caught or not.
Readable but not his best effort.
The main character, Corte, never engaged me - he seemed flat, cold, and distant. The story is told from his perspective but you never really learn much about him. Even the bad guy, Henry Loving (really?!), wasn't well developed and seemed a cardboard character. He was always lurking in the background as this nemesis character, but never became very scary.
I love a good unexpected twist to a story but this whole plot was based on "twists" and I found that annoying. There was little tension and I never really cared if the bad guy was caught or not.
Readable but not his best effort.
June 27, 2011
Edge, eh? Four words sum up this review: Deaver has lost his. Don't waste your time or money.
April 11, 2011
PROTAGONIST: Corte, Federal protection officer
SETTING: Washington, DC; Virginia
SERIES: Standalone
RATING: 3.5
EDGE is a standalone by thriller expert Jeffery Deaver which introduced me to a few different kinds of characters than I’ve met before. The protagonist of the book, Corte, is a Federal protection officer who is known as a “shepherd”. His assignments are to protect people who possess information that a criminal desperately needs. Often, the criminal will hire someone known as a “lifter” who will resort to any means necessary, including torture, murder and attacks on loved ones, to learn what the target is concealing. In this case, the lifter is a man whom Corte has dealt with before. Henry Loving lifted information from Corte’s former boss and mentor. Within less than ten minutes, this seasoned professional revealed everything that Loving wanted to know. In reality, there is no one that could manage to keep their secrets when faced with Loving’s approaches to getting information.
The primary that Corte is assigned to protect is a DC police detective named Ryan Kessler. It’s difficult to determine why Kessler is a target; after an incident several years earlier where he performed a heroic action, most of his cases have been relatively low key. The stakes are high; Loving immediately goes after Kessler’s daughter. Corte spirits the family away into safe houses; however, he knows very well how difficult it is to keep Loving off the trail.
I really enjoyed the book until Deaver introduced a whole series of twists that caused the dramatic tension to lag. Corte begins to feel that Ryan Kessler is not the actual target after all; as the narrative proceeds, he switches between several characters who may be the real principal that Loving is after. I don’t know about you, but I can only play the shell game a few times before I lose interest. If I’ve incorrectly guessed where the pea is 2 or 3 times, I no longer want to play.
On the other hand, there were some really interesting characters. Loving and Corte are like two sides of the same coin, both enigmatic and skilled at what they do. In fact, Loving seemed to me to have the edge over Corte. Unfortunately, Deaver never reveals very much about his motivations and how he thinks. Each of the members of the family group had their own troubles to deal with. Although I didn’t care for a few of them, they all had their moments.
Jeffery Deaver is an author whose works I almost always enjoy. I like the Lincoln Rhyme series—THE BURNING WIRE which was released earlier this year was excellent. Both his series and his standalones generally introduce fresh plot points and are full of twists that baffle and confound the reader. I never know what to expect when I pick up a book by Deaver, and that is a very good thing! In this case, my reaction was mixed. I thought that the prologue (a device I normally don’t care for) was wonderfully integrated into the first chapter. The aforementioned twists resulted in a narrative that was too long to sustain tension; however, the final section of the book where Corte cleaned up loose ends and revealed some surprising personal information was excellent.
SETTING: Washington, DC; Virginia
SERIES: Standalone
RATING: 3.5
EDGE is a standalone by thriller expert Jeffery Deaver which introduced me to a few different kinds of characters than I’ve met before. The protagonist of the book, Corte, is a Federal protection officer who is known as a “shepherd”. His assignments are to protect people who possess information that a criminal desperately needs. Often, the criminal will hire someone known as a “lifter” who will resort to any means necessary, including torture, murder and attacks on loved ones, to learn what the target is concealing. In this case, the lifter is a man whom Corte has dealt with before. Henry Loving lifted information from Corte’s former boss and mentor. Within less than ten minutes, this seasoned professional revealed everything that Loving wanted to know. In reality, there is no one that could manage to keep their secrets when faced with Loving’s approaches to getting information.
The primary that Corte is assigned to protect is a DC police detective named Ryan Kessler. It’s difficult to determine why Kessler is a target; after an incident several years earlier where he performed a heroic action, most of his cases have been relatively low key. The stakes are high; Loving immediately goes after Kessler’s daughter. Corte spirits the family away into safe houses; however, he knows very well how difficult it is to keep Loving off the trail.
I really enjoyed the book until Deaver introduced a whole series of twists that caused the dramatic tension to lag. Corte begins to feel that Ryan Kessler is not the actual target after all; as the narrative proceeds, he switches between several characters who may be the real principal that Loving is after. I don’t know about you, but I can only play the shell game a few times before I lose interest. If I’ve incorrectly guessed where the pea is 2 or 3 times, I no longer want to play.
On the other hand, there were some really interesting characters. Loving and Corte are like two sides of the same coin, both enigmatic and skilled at what they do. In fact, Loving seemed to me to have the edge over Corte. Unfortunately, Deaver never reveals very much about his motivations and how he thinks. Each of the members of the family group had their own troubles to deal with. Although I didn’t care for a few of them, they all had their moments.
Jeffery Deaver is an author whose works I almost always enjoy. I like the Lincoln Rhyme series—THE BURNING WIRE which was released earlier this year was excellent. Both his series and his standalones generally introduce fresh plot points and are full of twists that baffle and confound the reader. I never know what to expect when I pick up a book by Deaver, and that is a very good thing! In this case, my reaction was mixed. I thought that the prologue (a device I normally don’t care for) was wonderfully integrated into the first chapter. The aforementioned twists resulted in a narrative that was too long to sustain tension; however, the final section of the book where Corte cleaned up loose ends and revealed some surprising personal information was excellent.
June 4, 2012
I kept reading Jeffrey Deaver’s “Edge” hoping that there would be something more. There wasn’t. Not because Mr. Deaver can’t write. Not because it wasn’t inventive enough. Not because the twist at the end was expected. It was a report, not a story. Yes, I think that’s it.
September 16, 2023
Corte works as a senior officer in the Strategic Protection Department of a very hush-hush Federal agency. He protects people who may be in danger from nefarious bad-doers and madmen. Corte is currently protecting a cop and his family from someone he thought was already dead, an expert at getting people to talk (by torturing them). No one knows who he’s after, why he wants them or who hired him. It’s up to Corte and his team to find out. Deaver never disappoints and I found this mystery to have several different layers. Filled with great characters and well-written, there are lots of secrets and surprises. I really enjoyed it.
November 22, 2021
Пастирът трябва да опази мишени на убиец: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/p...
Преди години Лавинг е успял да надиграе ментора на Корт и след кратки и много ефективни мъчения го е застрелял – това е епизодът, с който започва книгата, и който показва, че Дивър хич няма да си поплюва. Агентът жадува повече от всичко да отмъсти, но на първо място в главата му е винаги да защитава своите клиенти – неговата работа е да пази хора, поставени на прицел, и неговата агенция, движеща се в сенките и не твърде позната в публичното пространство, има опит и натрупани успехи в тази област.
Издателство ЕРА
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/p...
Преди години Лавинг е успял да надиграе ментора на Корт и след кратки и много ефективни мъчения го е застрелял – това е епизодът, с който започва книгата, и който показва, че Дивър хич няма да си поплюва. Агентът жадува повече от всичко да отмъсти, но на първо място в главата му е винаги да защитава своите клиенти – неговата работа е да пази хора, поставени на прицел, и неговата агенция, движеща се в сенките и не твърде позната в публичното пространство, има опит и натрупани успехи в тази област.
Издателство ЕРА
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/p...
March 25, 2019
A stand-alone exciting novel from Deaver. To be honest, in some ways I found this a rather strange book. I have never heard of “protection officers” and don’t know whether they exist, but in this book they have vast resources, locations and intelligence to carry out their assignments. They are exciting episodes, but IMHO they became repetitious. I’ve read a number of Deaver’s books. This one has more action, but for me is not as plausible.
February 13, 2013
As other reviewers have suggested, the protagonist seems to be a stand in for the author, And if this is the case, the author must be, as the protagonist is, a total bore.He wants to provide little grammar lessons along the way. Only problem, Deaver can't come close to Strunk & White or Eats, Shoots & Leaves. He begins on p. 18 by giving the grammar once over to an email. "Grammar, spelling and punctuation are good," he says. "Proper use of "per." , , , I didn't explain that 'as per,' what most people says, is redundant. . . . And matching commas around the appositive, after 'details, which you hardly ever see." Is this guy kidding. He is not going to explain "as per" by explaining it, and in fact commas around appositives are readily found in work other than Deaver's own. He can't even use grammar properly. On p.g 78 he describes "Barbara, a single mother of 50." Barbara must be really something to have birthed 50 children. Enough with the patronizing and condesending attitude Deaver; stick to what you know. I am hard pressed to say what that might be, but I can positively say it is not grammar or for that matter writing compelling fiction.
April 7, 2011
I am a big fan of Jeffery Deaver and this book, "The Edge,"
with Corte, who calls himself ‘the shepherd,’ a protector, as the main character, this book was no exception. Loving is a return character for Deaver and an old enemy his stories. It is not Deaver’s best book but as I listened to it on audio and it was easy to follow and had both action and suspense. I had a bit of confusion at first with “the lifters,” the hitters” and the cutters and what all of that meant.
It is a fast moving book and should be an easy read, but it would be easy to get mired down in the characters and the descriptions. You can read it quickly and still enjoy the plot and the mystery of kidnappers and hit men and those who are contracted to do the “dirty jobs.”
It is a fast moving book and should be an easy read, but it would be easy to get mired down in the characters and the descriptions. You can read it quickly and still enjoy the plot and the mystery of kidnappers and hit men and those who are contracted to do the “dirty jobs.”
November 18, 2010
New character that I hope we will be seeing more of. Same vintage Deaver with his twists and turns, one never finds out exactly what is going on until he wants you to.
December 23, 2015
Enjoyed this fast paced thriller thoroughly. The 'twists' got a little repetitive towards the end, but still a very good read.
July 13, 2020
An absolute cracker of a story! What a roller-coaster ride...
It's been a while since I read a book that took me so much by surprise, so often, and that actually had characters who were cleverer than I could imagine. The story moves very fast, has more action sequences than the best of 007 and Bourne put together, and has still more to offer.
Agent Corte works for a nondescript, unnamed Agency in the DC area, whose job is to provide short-term protection to people who are the target of a "hitter" or a "lifter" - a killer or (basically) a kidnapper / extortionist. He has an interest in strategy board games - again, after a very long time I was reading about a character who had a fully fleshed three dimensional mind and personality, and who had interests that actually add to the story. In fact, his hobbies help save his life. More than once.
Except for his repeated use of the word protege (which - I'm pretty sure - is not part of regular conversation vocabulary!), he is a fantastic hero to root for. He is hard working, smart, dedicated, focused, sharp, tight-lipped, and mindful of the feelings of the people he is supposed to be protecting. That last aspect comes across very subtly - how Corte is shown to have a fairly deep and accurate understanding of the people who are in his care - often against their first instinct but always in their best interest, and he is shown to be actually considerate enough to hear them out, but detached enough to consider them no more than a passing acquaintance.
The first chapter literally blew my mind away, and that set me off the journey of nearly three days with Corte, as he is charged with protecting a family of four, with a staff of four (!).
Like any good thriller, there are many twists and turns, red herrings, secrets, conspiracies and lies peppered along the way, but Corte soldiers on.
The ending is - IMHO - a tad too neat, but other than that, the book is flawless. A pure adrenaline rush. Parts of the story are so good and intense and filled with action, I actually read them twice before proceeding onward. I felt sad finishing the book, knowing that there's no follow-up of this character. I've seen many less-impressive characters have dozens of novels - enough to fill a room, and then some.
I'd definitely read more of Mr. Deaver's works.
It's been a while since I read a book that took me so much by surprise, so often, and that actually had characters who were cleverer than I could imagine. The story moves very fast, has more action sequences than the best of 007 and Bourne put together, and has still more to offer.
Agent Corte works for a nondescript, unnamed Agency in the DC area, whose job is to provide short-term protection to people who are the target of a "hitter" or a "lifter" - a killer or (basically) a kidnapper / extortionist. He has an interest in strategy board games - again, after a very long time I was reading about a character who had a fully fleshed three dimensional mind and personality, and who had interests that actually add to the story. In fact, his hobbies help save his life. More than once.
Except for his repeated use of the word protege (which - I'm pretty sure - is not part of regular conversation vocabulary!), he is a fantastic hero to root for. He is hard working, smart, dedicated, focused, sharp, tight-lipped, and mindful of the feelings of the people he is supposed to be protecting. That last aspect comes across very subtly - how Corte is shown to have a fairly deep and accurate understanding of the people who are in his care - often against their first instinct but always in their best interest, and he is shown to be actually considerate enough to hear them out, but detached enough to consider them no more than a passing acquaintance.
The first chapter literally blew my mind away, and that set me off the journey of nearly three days with Corte, as he is charged with protecting a family of four, with a staff of four (!).
Like any good thriller, there are many twists and turns, red herrings, secrets, conspiracies and lies peppered along the way, but Corte soldiers on.
The ending is - IMHO - a tad too neat, but other than that, the book is flawless. A pure adrenaline rush. Parts of the story are so good and intense and filled with action, I actually read them twice before proceeding onward. I felt sad finishing the book, knowing that there's no follow-up of this character. I've seen many less-impressive characters have dozens of novels - enough to fill a room, and then some.
I'd definitely read more of Mr. Deaver's works.
April 26, 2019
Страшно добра, без да е част от поредицата за Райм и Сакс. Много обрати и топъл оптимистичен финал. Много приятно четиво.
January 27, 2013
Edge is the first Deaver book I've read that was not in the Lincoln Rhyme series. I was pleasantly surprised by a slam bang action packed thriller with plenty of curves in the road.
The story revolves around a special witness protection detail. They are attempting to protect a family from a guy known as a lifter. A "lifter" is a mercenary who extracts information. He is willing to use any "edge" he can get. He will kidnap, torture, threaten, blackmail. The bad guy in this story is an expert at kidnapping and torture.
The author does a good job providing plenty of action and an aura of mystery. He skillfully dances out a number of red herrings to distract the reader. At one point, I fell for one of those herrings, hook, line, and sinker. It was dropped so deftly, so nonchalantly, I thought I had it all figured out. IN the end, the mystery was solved, but the clues had been there all along for the reader. So, Deaver, as a mystery author plays in a fair manner.
The conclusion (called endgame) was not unexpected. I'd picked up clues throughout the book that his life circumstances were not exactly what we expected.
This novel was made even more interesting to me because of the author's references to boardgames. He names a number of titles that would be familiar to Eurogamers and hints at liking wargames. I'm not sure how deeply the author delves into gaming. Most people who play wargames don't like the Euro games, and vice versa. It would be odd to find an exception, though one might exist. In places, he quotes from game rules, and like me, he enjoys collecting older games, though not the same types. So the character's hobby was interesting.
He also uses GAME THEORY to drive his hero's cognitive thinking and strategic planning. I never had the impression that the author fully understood what he was using to create a fictional thought process, but it made for interesting reading and depth of characterization.
In places, the author chose to annoy me by making his hero sort of a super brain. There was constant discussion of multiple college degrees and after awhile, it was like the hero was bragging to the reader, rather than just telling the story.
Overall, I thought Edge was a pretty decent book with some interesting characters, some well plotted mystery, and some decent action, with a resolution that was satisfactory and didn't leave me feeling cheated.
The story revolves around a special witness protection detail. They are attempting to protect a family from a guy known as a lifter. A "lifter" is a mercenary who extracts information. He is willing to use any "edge" he can get. He will kidnap, torture, threaten, blackmail. The bad guy in this story is an expert at kidnapping and torture.
The author does a good job providing plenty of action and an aura of mystery. He skillfully dances out a number of red herrings to distract the reader. At one point, I fell for one of those herrings, hook, line, and sinker. It was dropped so deftly, so nonchalantly, I thought I had it all figured out. IN the end, the mystery was solved, but the clues had been there all along for the reader. So, Deaver, as a mystery author plays in a fair manner.
The conclusion (called endgame) was not unexpected. I'd picked up clues throughout the book that his life circumstances were not exactly what we expected.
This novel was made even more interesting to me because of the author's references to boardgames. He names a number of titles that would be familiar to Eurogamers and hints at liking wargames. I'm not sure how deeply the author delves into gaming. Most people who play wargames don't like the Euro games, and vice versa. It would be odd to find an exception, though one might exist. In places, he quotes from game rules, and like me, he enjoys collecting older games, though not the same types. So the character's hobby was interesting.
He also uses GAME THEORY to drive his hero's cognitive thinking and strategic planning. I never had the impression that the author fully understood what he was using to create a fictional thought process, but it made for interesting reading and depth of characterization.
In places, the author chose to annoy me by making his hero sort of a super brain. There was constant discussion of multiple college degrees and after awhile, it was like the hero was bragging to the reader, rather than just telling the story.
Overall, I thought Edge was a pretty decent book with some interesting characters, some well plotted mystery, and some decent action, with a resolution that was satisfactory and didn't leave me feeling cheated.
March 22, 2019
Really good 1st person writing style, edge of your seat stuff. Then came the ending very disappointing. Overall still a good read.
February 2, 2011
Deaver has done it again. I have enjoyed nearly all of his stand alone books but had heard mixed results about this one. The suspense was constant through the whole book and even though I swore I had the ending all figured out for most of the book, Deaver was able to stump me again.
I have read everything by Deaver and thought I had his trademark twists and turns all laid out and I thought I had the whole thing figured out ten chapters in. I even had alternates in case he twisted the story in a different direction. Well, he played with me though most of the story. I would get to a part and he would confirm my predictions only to rip those theories to shreds two chapters later. There were a lot of editing mistakes, general typos and wrong words, but it is easy to get past.
For anyone looking for a quick read with lots of suspense and thrills. I highly recommend this one. It is just under 400 pages but it flew by so quickly it seemed much shorter. Deaver has never let me down and is still my all time favorite author. I still think this was a great read.
I have read everything by Deaver and thought I had his trademark twists and turns all laid out and I thought I had the whole thing figured out ten chapters in. I even had alternates in case he twisted the story in a different direction. Well, he played with me though most of the story. I would get to a part and he would confirm my predictions only to rip those theories to shreds two chapters later. There were a lot of editing mistakes, general typos and wrong words, but it is easy to get past.
For anyone looking for a quick read with lots of suspense and thrills. I highly recommend this one. It is just under 400 pages but it flew by so quickly it seemed much shorter. Deaver has never let me down and is still my all time favorite author. I still think this was a great read.
February 22, 2016
3.5 Stars for me. It wasn't that this wasn't a good book, it was. Corte is a new character for Deaver, not sure if we will see him again. Corte works for a shadow government agency that protects individuals from harm. He has many people that don't want him to complete his mission. Where I had issues with the book was it was wrote in first person. My least favorite tense. Eventually I got used to it and was able to get into the story. Corte came off as a loney individual and after reading the surprise ending, I got it. If you are waiting for the next Lincoln Ryhmes, then this is a good filler until then. Deaver is a masterful storyteller and I hope that we see Corte again.
January 18, 2011
Loved this book! It was one of those that you just can't put down!! I read until I finished this last night, and it was 12.45am when I put it down, extremely satisfied, and happy with the result! Jeffery Deaver always writes an extremely good tale, but this one was awesome!!
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